Ledco Premier 4, Operation Manual

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1-5 PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
The laminator operates by pulling film with a thermally activated adhesive over a heat source
and into a set of laminating rollers. Film from a supply roll passes over heat shoes to activate
a polyethylene adhesive layer on the film. It then passes through rubber rollers to apply
pressure and bond the film to the item being laminated. The film's adhesive is pressed into
the ink and fibers on the surface of the paper.
The strength of the lamination bond can be checked by cutting a large “X” on the surface of a
laminated sample with a sharp blade. Use the tip of the blade to pry up one corner of the “X”.
Grab that corner and pull up the film. Ink and/or paper fibers coming up with the layer of film
indicates a good adhesive bond.
If the film comes up too easily, with no ink or paper, the lamination was probably done at too
low a temperature. Check the instructions that may have come with your laminating film
and/or the lamination temperature chart in section 5-5.
Please note that when doing an X-test on glossy (coated) paper, a good X-test will pull up ink
only. The film should not come up easily. When laminating material that is not glossy
(uncoated), the paper is often more fibrous, and a good X-test will yield ink and paper fibers
coming up with the film.
1-6 LAMINATING FILM
Most thermal laminating film consists of two layers: a base of polyester and an adhesive layer
of polyethylene. The polyester layer forms the harder outer surface of the film and does not
melt at laminating temperature. It provides rigidity and protection for your laminated items.
The greater the polyester content, the higher the level of protection, rigidity and luster. The
polyethylene layer melts at laminating temperature and bonds the film to the subject material
under the pressure of the laminating rollers. As an X-test demonstrates, the adhesive is
pressed into the paper and fills irregularities in the surface.
The proportion of polyester and polyethylene in a film is usually described with numbers. For
example, a “1-2” film consists of one mil of polyester and two mils of polyethylene. The first
number refers to the base layer. The second number refers to the adhesive layer. A mil is
1/1000 of an inch.
Since polyester is the more costly of the two types of plastic generally used in laminating film,
a “3-2” film will cost more than a “2-3” film. Both are 5-mil films but the “3-2” version will
seem a little thicker on a piece of laminated material because it will be slightly stiffer.
Thermal laminating films are available in many different base/adhesive combinations. Five-
mil film, for example, can be found in 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, and 4-1 combinations.